Mix and Match Bread Dressing

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Published on Midwest Living (http://www.midwestliving.com)

Mix and Match Bread Dressing

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Makes: 12 to 14 servings
Yield: About 10 cups
Prep 45 mins
Bake 10 mins to 15 mins
Bake 55 mins

Ingredients

1 1 - pound bread loaf, such as white, French, Italian, sourdough, whole wheat, honey wheat, pumpernickel, seeded rye bread or artisan bread (rosemary, olive or dried tomato)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped vegetable, such as celery with leaves, red or yellow sweet pepper, fresh mushrooms, fennel bulb, peeled sweet potatoes or peeled butternut squash
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked meat, such as bulk pork sausage, hot Italian sausage, chorizo sausage, cubed ham or crumbled bacon (optional)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage, ground sage or poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons dried herb, crushed, such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, or basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or cayenne pepper
1/2 cup snipped fresh parsley
2/3 cup chopped and toasted nuts, such pecans, walnuts, almonds or pine nuts (optional)
2/3 cup dried fruit, such as cranberries, tart red cherries, raisins, golden raisins, currants, snipped apricots, snipped peaches, or snipped apples (optional)
1 1/3-2 cups turkey stock or chicken broth

Directions

For dry bread cubes: Cut fresh bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Measure 12 cups bread cubes. Place bread cubes in a single layer in two 15x10x1-inch baking pans. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cubes are dry, stirring twice; cool. (Cubes will continue to dry and crisp as they cool.) Or let bread cubes stand loosely covered at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add desired chopped vegetable, onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender but not brown. Remove from heat.
If you like, stir in desired meat. Stir in sage, desired dried herb and pepper.
In a very large bowl, toss bread cubes, onion mixture and parsley. If you like, add nuts and/or dried fruit. Drizzle with enough broth to moisten; toss lightly to combine. Transfer mixture to 2-1/2-to 3-quart casserole.*
Bake, covered, in a 325 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; bake for 10 minutes more to crisp top slightly. Makes 12 to 14 servings (about 10 cups).

Note

* Or use bread mixture to stuff a 12- to 14-pound whole turkey. To stuff turkey, just before roasting, spoon some of the dressing loosely into the neck cavity of the turkey. Pull the neck skin to the back; fasten with a skewer.
* Lightly spoon more dressing into the body cavity (no more than 3/4 cup dressing per pound of turkey). Do not pack dressing tightly, or it will not get enough by the time the turkey is cooked. (Transfer any remaining dressing to a casserole dish, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons additional broth, if you like, for a moister dressing. Cover and chill casserole.
* Add covered casserole of dressing along-side turkey for the last 30 to 45 minutes of roasting or until heated through (center of the dressing should be at least 165 degrees F). Remove dressing from turkey and transfer to a serving dish.
* Store leftover dressing and turkey in separate containers as soon as possible after serving.

Variation

Mix-and-Match Corn Bread Dressing: Prepare recipe as above except use 1/2 of a bread loaf (8 ounces) or 6 cups dry bread cubes. Add 5 cups of 3/4-inch cubed or crumbed corn bread (from 1 prepared corn bread mix). Makes about 11 cups.

Variation

Mix-and-Match Rice Dressing: Prepare recipe as above except use 1/2 of a bread loaf (8 ounces) or 6 cups dry bread cubes. Add 5 cups cooked long grain white rice, regular brown rice or wild rice. Makes about 15 cups.

Nutrition Facts

(Mix and Match Bread Dressing)

Servings Per Recipe 12, vit. A (IU) 680, carb. (g) 22, pro. (g) 4, iron (mg) 2, Fat, total (g) 9, vit. C (mg) 13, Thiamin (mg) 0, Monosaturated fat (g) 4, Riboflavin (mg) 0, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 1, Niacin (mg) 2, chol. (mg) 21, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0, Folate (µg) 56, cal. (kcal) 189, sat. fat (g) 5, sodium (mg) 356, Potassium (mg) 145, fiber (g) 2, calcium (mg) 71, sugar (g) 3

Source URL (retrieved on May 25, 2013): http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/stuffing/mix-and-match-bread-dressing/

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